FEBRUARY 27, 1972
SYDNEY SHOWGROUNDS, SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA
Length:130 minutes (incomplete)
Track List: Black Dog, Stairway to Heaven (begining cut), Going to California, That's the Way, Tangerine, Bron-Y-Aur Stomp(slight cut), Dazed and Confused, What Is and What Should Never Be, Moby Dick, Rock and Roll, Whole Lotta Love(including The Rover), Communication Breakdown, Organ Solo-Thank You.
Recording Quality: Very good audience recording with very little audience noise.
Comments: The first two songs (Immigrant Song and Heartbreaker) were not recorded by the taper. Since I've Been Loving You, Celebration Day, and the begining of Stairway to Heaven were accidently dubbed over.
Bootleg CD Reference: Ayers Rock on the Tarantura Label contains the whole tape, but I've heard that each track fades in at the start and out at the end.
MAY 28, 1972
VOORST NATIONAL, BRUSSELS BELGIUM
Length: 117 minutes(incomplete?).
Track List: Immigrant Song, Hearbreaker, Black Dog, Since I've Been Loving You, Stairway to Heaven, Going to California, Bron-Yr-Stomp, Dazed and Confused, What Is and What Should Never Be, Whole Lotta Love Medle(includes Every Body Needs Somebody to Love instrumental, Boogie Woogie, Hello Mary Lou, Running Bear, Lawdy Miss Claudy, Heartbreak Hotel, Don't Be Cruel, Going Down Slow) .
Recording Quality: Good audience recording with some hiss.
Comments: In the 2nd edition of the Live.. book, Rey mentions that there are rumors of this tape. He was right. The recording quality is slighly better than the previous night. The band seems to be having some problems with the PA especially during the acoustic section and beginning of Dazed. The true rarity of this show is the Whole Lotta Love medley. Robert does his Elvis impression tonight by including Heartbreak Hotel and Don't Be Cruel. This is the 1st time Don't be Cruel has been found on any live tape! A great medle!
Bootleg CD Reference: Burning Ticket by Baby Face.
DECEMBER 12, 1972
BIRMINGHAM ODEON, BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND
Length 49 minutes (incomplete)
Track List: Misty Mountain Hop (fades in at start), Since I've Been Loving You, Dancing Days, Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp, The Song Remains The Same, Rain Song, Dazed and Confused(cut).
Recording Quality: Very good audience recording.
Comments: Thanks goes out to David Montgomery for letting me use his review of this show. The following review is based upon the bootleg CD Four Cards by Tarantura.
First appearance of this very good, clear and well-balanced audience source fragment, with some
tape hiss. The playing is impeccable, foreshadowing the upcoming technically-excellent
European tour of early 1973. Plant doesn’t push his luck with his newly-lowered range, and
obtains good results, although he (and, less frequently, the instrumental jackhammer) still
overloads the taper’s mic, strangely enhancing the impact. Page is totally in the pocket for this
performance, accomplishing fully-realized vibrato, bends, slides and hammering, all with great
sustain, just like on the records. The transition from MMH to SIBLY is both abrupt and
seamless, and absolutely
perfect. Minor audience chatter is audible during the more quiet parts, detracting from our
enjoyment of a brilliant rendition of this favorite. It is also marred by strange sounds at various
points - not digital errors, but perhaps the clicking sound of an articulated mic stand? After a
classic ending, a heckler starts in, but Plant feigns misunderstanding, choosing to shill the new
album that "has been finished for a long time... these silly record companies". As Page tunes
down, Plant int roduces a "very spirited little song” and we’re lurching happily along into
Dancing Days. Plant screams "high school!" right before the ending modulation.. A cut, and
Bron-Yr-Aur is offered as an acoustic mini-interlude, at the end of which Plant plaintively calls
“Strider!”. Plant introduces TSRTS, a song for “whistling John Bonham”, to no applause
whatsoever - tough crowd! A flawless reading, but without the amazing introductory
syncopation of drums, guitar and bass that will commence in 1973 and later be recorded most
notably on the Listen to this Eddie boot. After the frenzy of TSRTS, the tranquil opening of RS
is dramatic and welcome, but still no reaction from the frozen audience other than polite
applause at the end. More shouting from disgruntled members of the audience, and in response
Plant solemnly announces “a police message: John Paul Jones.” D&C, their evolving
masterpiece, shows the band at their best, incorporating a super-fast interpretation of Rollin’ and
Tumblin’ before drifting into the San Francisco segment. Our heckler destroys the quiet part of
the bow section, shouting “boring!”. The tape fades out at 11:36 into D&C, just after the
bow-slapping section. It will be nice to hear the rest of this show in 5 years or thereabouts. This
release, a limited edition of 200 which might be subtitled “No. 72 Live Special”, is housed in an
attractive, full-color bifold digipack; the theme for the artwork (by "Mrs. Stout") depicting the
band as “face” cards of the suit of spades, with Plant the King, Jones as Queen (New Orleans?),
Bonham as the Jack and Page, of course, the Joker Beelzebuth, astride a giant bee and a wielding
star-tipped wand. (David Montgomery February2000)
Bootleg CD References: Four Cards by Tarantura.
DECEMBER 22, 1972
ALEXANDRA PALACE, LONDON, ENGLAND
Length: 60 minutes
Track List: Stairway to Heaven, Whole Lotta Love(includes Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, Boogie Woogie, Let's Have A Party, Heartbreak Hotel, I Can't Quit You, The Shape I'm In), Immigrant Song, Heartbreaker, Mellotron Solo/Thank You.
Recording Quality: Very good to excellent stereo audience recording.
Comments: The tapes starts out with some bass distortion during Stairway to Heaven, but clears up by the start of Whole Lotta Love. This tape is a major upgrade from the common/complete source. I've heard that the taper did tape the whole show, but, because he was unhappy with the quality of the recording, taped over the first 90 minutes! At least end was saved.
Bootleg CD References: Riot House by Chad is the only release of this tape. This release is not in stereo though. It's difficult to tell if one channel was duplicated, or if both channels were converted to mono.
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